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I, Claudius (Limited Time Offer - This 5-Disc-Set is available FREE with minimum purchase of 20 Cinema Classics DVDs.)


Roman history comes alive in this magnificent award winning 13-part series. I, Claudius ranks among the most acclaimed productions in BBC history. Tracing the lives of the last of the Roman emperors, it's an epic of ruthless ambition, shocking debauchery and murderous intrigue set in one of history's most fascinating eras. Bearing witness to the saga is Claudius, whose stutter and limp have marked him a fool--yet whom prophecies have foretold will one day rule Rome. Stars: Derek Jacobi, Siân Phillips, Brian Blessed, George Baker, and John Hurt.

This collector's DVD edition set includes a unique documentary feature, The Epic That Never Was (1965, 71 min.), a remarkable behind-the-scenes look at Alexander Korda's ill-fated 1937 screen adaptation of I, Claudius. Starring Merle Oberon and Charles Laughton, the chronicle of this uncompleted masterpiece is an unforgettable coda to this truly classic series.

DVD

  • Disc One:
    Episode 1: A Touch of Murder
    It is 54 A.D. and Claudius, Emperor of Rome, also known as Claudius the Idiot, is near death. Relating events prior to his birth, he recreates the intrigues of his grandmother, Livia, during the reign of her husband, Augustus. Consumed by ambition to see her son Tiberius (stepson to Augustus) gain the throne, she murders the heir but is foiled in her plan to make a match between Tiberius and the Emperor's spoiled daughter, Julia.

    Episode 2: Family Affairs
    Livia finally arranges a match between Tiberius and Julia by poisoning Julia's husband and forcing Tiberius to divorce his wife. She eliminates her own son, Drusus, when he displeases her. Tiberius ruins his mother's plans when he abuses Julia and is sentenced to exile.

    Episode 3: Waiting in the Wings
    Livia continues her schemes to place Tiberius on the throne. She murders the Emperor's heirs and blackmails a Patrician youth in order to expose Julia's sexual exploits to her doting and indulgent father. Livia's grandson, Claudius, a sickly child with the reputation of an imbecile, receives an omen that he will rule Rome. Tiberius returns from exile; Julia is banished.

  • Disc Two:
    Episode 4: What Shall We Do About Claudius?
    Tiberius leaves for the frontier and Claudius, now in his late teens and an advid student of history, learns of his grandmother's schemes. Livia weaves a web of lies to discredit Postumus, the next heir, while Claudius is married in a ceremony marked by the cruel mocking of his family.

    Episode 5: Poison Is Queen
    Augustus learns of Livia's destruction of members of the family; however, Livia slowly poisons the Emperor and through bribes alters his will, making Tiberius next in line. She orders the murder of Postumus.

    Episode 6: Some Justice
    Tiberius becomes Emperor after the death of Augustus. Germanicus, brother of Claudius, has died of suspected poisoning and his wife is determined to bring those responsible to justice. Tiberius is implicated but Livia ensures that the Governor of Syria is convicted.


  • Disc Three
    Episode 7: Queen of Heaven
    Aided by the ambitious Sejanus and obsessed with perverted pleasures, Tiberius destroys his enemies. His son, Castor, tries to warn the Emperor about Sejanus, but Castor's wife, Livilla, poisons him in order to marry Sejanus. Sejauns arranges a divorce for Claudius presenting his own sister, Aelie, as Claudius' second wife.

    Episode 8: Reign of Terror
    Tiberius eliminates his relatives, while Sejanus and Livilla plot to gain the throne. Tiberius refuses to allow their marriage, and Livilla urges Sejanus to assassinate Tiberius. Warned of the plot, Tiberius arrests Sejanus, who is murdered in his cell by the Praetorian Guard. Claudius divorces Sejauns' sister and Tiberius names Caligula as heir.

    Episode 9: Zeus, By Jove
    Tiberus dies at Capri and Caligula is Emperor. Caligula goes insane, declaring himself and his sister divine. Gemellus, the 12 year old heir to the throne, is murdered by the Emperor. In a fit of madness, Caligula murders his sister and their unborn child.

  • Disc Four
    Episode 10: Hail Who?
    Caligula, who has turned the palace into a brothel, marries the mother of his baby daughter. Claudius, appointed doorkeeper in the palace, lives in the poor quarter of town. Conspirators murder the imperial family, and Claudius is declared Emperor by the Praetorian Guard.

    Episode 11: Fool's Luck
    Claudius' first act as Emperor is to pass the death sentence on Caligula's murderers. He has married the beautiful young Messalina, who, however, desires the handsome Silanus. Her plots nearly cost Claudius his life, but his love for her blinds him.

    Episode 12: A God in Colchester
    While Claudius wages a successful campaign in Britain, his bored wife passes the time by taking a succession of lovers. She schemes with her latest lover to restore the Republic. Their bigamous marriage prompts Claudius' ministers to take action. Unwittingly, Claudius signs a warrant for her execution.

  • Disc Five
    Episode 13: Old King Log
    Claudius, old and tired, is persuaded by his minister, Pallas, to marry Agrippinilla, a corrupt woman who is Pallas' lover. Despite premonitions that he is sealing his own death warrant, the Emperor is persuaded by his wife to make her son, Nero, heir. Claudius completes his history and awaits his death with resignation.

    Documentary: The Epic That Never Was (1965, 71 min.)
    This is a remarkable behind-the-scenes look at Alexander Korda's ill-fated 1937 screen adaptation of I, Claudius. Starring Merle Oberon and Charles Laughton, the chronicle of this uncompleted masterpiece is an unforgettable coda to this truly classic series.



 pricing and ordering

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